


(WIP) Whirlwind 2, Heist For The Ages

by CakeIsMySoul



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/F, F/M, I read most of the red crackle there was to be found, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Season 4, casually neglecting my other fic, it's like 5 am, must change, such a lack, why the fuck not, yep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28811679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CakeIsMySoul/pseuds/CakeIsMySoul
Summary: It's been a couple years since V.I.L.E got taken out, and everyone thought that would be the end of it.How wrong they were.All the jailed operatives have bust out, and they're going to claw their way back to power, no matter the cost.Fortunately, Carmen is on the case.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gray hadn't contacted Carmen and she'd never reached out either. He couldn't, no WOULDN'T, blame her, not after everything they'd been through, everything he'd done.He hadn't gone to jail, in fact he managed to get a clean slate and go back to the opera, and nobody came to get him to serve any time for anything.He was alright.He stayed in shape, practiced his skills in private and stared longingly out the window, quietly hoping for an olive branch that would never come.Until he heard the news.Until it did.
Relationships: Gray | Crackle/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 35
Kudos: 114





	1. Loading...

~~**Carmen** ~~

She'd been drinking coffee in the park when Player called her, this time not about his day or just to catch up, but because of a resurfacing problem that he just caught wind of.

"Hey Player, what's up?" She greeted, leaning against a bench and swirling her cup with a vague smile. "Need me to come up there?"

She heard Player's chuckle on the other end of the line, soft and mirthless. "Heya Red," He said, sounding sad. "Bad news. You _may_ want to be sitting down,"

"Already am, Player. Hit me," She grimaced, mind listing all the possible things Player could say and all of them rounded back to V.I.L.E.

"They escaped. Every operative they caught just busted out,"

Her heart stopped.

"Red?"

"When?" She said quietly. "When did they escape?"

Silence.

"When?" She repeated, harsher.

"2 nights ago. I only found out an hour ago,"

"2 nights ago," Carmen repeated.

"Yes,"

"That's enough time to fly anywhere on Earth,"

"Yes,"

"They could have gone anywhere on Earth to regroup,"

"Yes," Player sighed.

Carmen sighed. "And it's just us now," She smiled sadly. "Zack and Ivy are with ACME and I won't bring Shadow-San back into this," Her old family still talked quite regularly, but it had been over a year since they'd seen each other in person and if she was going to put the red coat back on she couldn't drag them onto her team. "Guess it's just you and me, huh Player?"

Player didn't respond for a moment. "Yeeeeah..." He said.

"What are you thinking?"

"Uh, well," Player chuckled and probably spun in his chair a few times. "You don't have to go it alone, you know," He paused. "We could build a team,"

Carmen laughed. "With who? Grey? He's gone," She shook her head at the memory. The aussie had disappeared shortly after leaving the hospital, and the chief had suggested she move on with her life. She did, for the most part, but even now couldn't help looking over her shoulder in hopes to catch a glimpse.

"About that," Player replied. "I think we were a bit mislead on his status,"

She stilled. "What?"

"Well, I'm looking at a photo from a month ago, and a guy that looks just like him by the name of Graham Calloway was the best man at the photographer Caroline "Lucky" Reeds' wedding," He chuckles again. "There's a photo of her and all her bridesmaids and -men smoking cigars. Seems like a good time,"

"We aren't bringing Gray into this!" She snapped, tears welling in her grey-lavender eyes. She ignored the hurt that bubbled in her chest at the realisation someone so dear had never reached out even after the dust settled.

"Red, we'll do better if we have a team,"

"We did fine before,"

Player laughed. "Fine? You mean the early days when you were running on 4 hours a night? You call that fine?" She heard him sigh. "Red, what I'm hearing on the crime-net is scary. People are saying they're regrouping and are planning something big. I don't think you'll be able to do this alone,"

"You've really changed, haven't you?" Carmen said, downing half her coffee. "You really think I can't do it alone?"

"No you can," Player hummed, the quiet clacking of his keyboard could be heard on her end. "I just think this'll be more successful if you have a team,"

"Let me guess, you're booking a flight ro wherever Gray is, huh?"

The clicking stopped, Player sighed. The young man looked at his setup mournfully, unsure of what to say to his friend. "Red...Just ask, alright? I don't want to be your only ally,"

"You're not-"

"Zack and Ivy don't count, they're suits,"

Carmen sighed, looking around. "Alright. I'll let my mom know I'm going traveling," she stood up, getting ready to leave the park. "Where is he right now?"

"He still lives and works in Sydney Red," Player said, resuming his typing. "Oh wow. He's good friends with her,"

"The photographer?"

"Yeah," Player laughs. "Seems she drags him and her wife on her trips pretty often, and he gets credit as her assistant and," he paused reading something. "Oh he's her apprentice,"

"Learning to be a photographer, huh?" Carmen was about halfway to the orphanage now. Shortly after meeting her mother, she ended up buying a house nearby to have hee own space, particularly since their relationship was a bit strained. It had gotten better over the course of two years, but it was still awkward.

"Alright I have 3 potential flights. Noon tomorrow, 11 am Thursday or 8 am Saturday, take your pick,"

"Thursday. My mom's going to want some time and I'll need to pack,"

"Alright then Red. Flight booked,"

"Thanks Player," Carmen smiled, arriving at the orphanage. "I need to go, alright?"

"Alright, talk soon Red,"

"Bye,"

"Bye,"

~~**Gray/Graham/Crackle (Damn he has a lot of pseudonyms.)** ~~

The past two years had been interesting, to say the least. ~~~~

He had all of his memories from both lives, the regrets and personalities of who he'd been and who he'd been made into had meshed into who he was today, he continued his work at the Sydney Opera House, although with a significantly decreased schedule, and he'd found new hobbies.

His hospital stay had not been significant especially compared to his "hospital stay" with V.I.L.E and he'd been back up and at 'em a couple weeks later.

After, he'd fallen back into a routine of repair, lighting, and installation at the opera house and hadn't expected much to change. He was the head technician and did most of the lighting design and application once he'd settled into his role. It honestly wasn't that different, except that instead of following directions, he was giving them.

He thought that would be his life going forward, until about a month into his return they put on a rendition of _Dead_ Man _Walking_ and he had met Lucky.

She'd been there on request of the opera house, taking promotional photos of both the play and the building when se sought him out after the show.

"Hey, you're the head technician, yeah?" A woman had called out. She had curly shoulderlength hair and wore a navy blue three peice suit at the time. "That's you, right?"

He'd straightened and nodded as she approached. "Yep, that's me alright," he nodded to the stage. "I did the lighting for the show tonight-"

"Wonderful. Look, I gotta say kid you have an eye for light. I mean, I usually gotta pull some fancy tricks with my cameras but tonight?" She huffed, smiling away. "Thanks kid, really. What say you to dinner, for making my job easier?" She'd grinned up at him, offering a hand. "I'd really like to know what you did up there. Maybe keep it in mind for my next shoot in a big dark building,"

He'd accepted her hand warily, confused as to why this woman was back here thanking him. "Um, sure? I could a bite to eat," he scratched the back of his head. "I'm Graham. You are...?" He prompted.

"Caroline, but just call me Lucky. It's easier that way," she looked around. "Looks like everything here is all wrapped up. Anyplace in particular you want?"

The dinner had been a casual affair, the two of them sitting at a cafe as she listened to what he had to say about lighting and she regaled him with tales of adventures gone wrong and the annoyances that came with carrying a camera.

They'd struck up a quick friendship after that, which quickly led to him having dinner with her and her fiance to him accepting her offer to learn photography and occasionally travel the world.

The opera house had been ecstatic when they found out they had an employee connected to such a talented photographer and he somehow had more vacation days available than he knew what to do with.

Eventually, she asked him to be her best man, and he'd accepted on the spot, citing her as one of his best friends. Though admittedly one of his only friends now.

Cut to now, and he is walking up the steps to his apartment, turning around the corner, only to see-

"Carmen?"

TBC


	2. Customize Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two old friends stand at odds for the same reasons as always:  
> Mixed feelings over history.

~~**Gray/Graham/Crackle (Again, the most names for this guy)** ~~

"Carmen?"

He couldn't believe it. After two years believing he'd seen the last of Carmen Sandiego, here she was standing in front of his door in a red hoodie and light blue jeans. Her hair was up in a bun, not unlike the one she used to wear out. Overall, she looked the same now as she had the day she stunned him, albeit with less bloodlust in those grey eyes than when he'd last seen her and far more emotion on her face. Not just sociopathic confidence.

"Hey Gray-" she started but he'd already started running away. She scowled and booked it after him, shouting his name as she followed. "Gray!"

He heard her calls and it only pushed him to run faster, and put more distance between them. He had mixed feelings over seeing her again. On the one hand, he was glad she was alright, healthy and clearly somewhat happy.

On the other...He had decided to go on with his life with the knowledge that the chapter of it in which Carmen was included had ended and he had come to terms with that. He held no illusions that he would make her life better.

He knew he wouldn't. That was just how.it would be.

So when confronted with the sight of the one person he missed so dearly and cherished with all his heart, he reverted to childhood strategies and ran from her.And now he couldn't stop because she was sprinting after him, shouting his name and he was trying to figure out what to do and not fall flat on his face. Which was easier given his training but as Carmen was chasing him that threw most expertise out the window.

So he ran to the nearby park and as soon as he saw a path, he tried to take it.

Keyword: Tried.In reality, he had slowed down during the chase due to emotions cluttering his brain and shortly after setting foot on the grass, Carmen had launched herself at him, knocking him down as she gripped his jacket and situated herself on his back.

"Gray!" She hissed, shaking her head, as he tried to shake her off his back. "Would you _please_ just calm down? I need to talk to you,"

  
The man with his face in the grass groaned in response, smacking the ground. "Alright sheila," he grumbled, craning his head to look at her. "Just let me up, yeah?"

Carmen laughed and glared playfully at him. "Promise you won't run away?"

"Promise,"

~~**Carmen** ~~

She'd let him up pretty quickly, but didn't release him, moving her grip from his back to the collar of his jacket. ~~ **  
**~~

"Uhh," he pointed at her grip. "You going to let me go now?"

Carmen shook her head. "No, I still don't trust you to not run away,"

He looked away, sheepish. "Sorry about that," he said softly. "I just..." He trailed off, pressing his lips in a thin line. Gray sighed, combing a hand through his fluffy combed back hair. "I saw you and panicked, I guess,"

Carmen let go, looking stricken. "Panicked...?" She stepped back, horrified. Was he that scared of her after what happened?

"No no no!" He blurted out, waving his hands frantically. "I just kinda accepted that you weren't going to be in my life and seeing you again didn't fit into how I've been seeing the world" Gray attempted, trying to reassure Carmen.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, not entirely convinced.

"Look," he ran a hand through his hair again. "How about we talk over a cuppa? There's a place nearby, it's quiet and the pastries are great,"

She nodded, gesturing at the nearby path. "Lead the way Gray,"

He nodded and offered his hand, before retracting it at her odd expression. "Er, so I don't run away?" He joked.

She laughed, punching him gently in the arm. "Don't worry, I'd catch you," she joked back.

"Would you now," he said, as they stepped onto the path.

Carmen hummed in response. "Sure would!"

Gray laughed, shaking his head. "Let's go get that cuppa,"

"Yeah," Carmen said, walking alongside Gray. " Let's,"

~~**Gray/Graham/Crackle (How many names are we allowing him? Will he get more? Stay tuned!)** ~~

The walk to the cafe was quiet and quick, seeing as it wasn't that far and the two young adults both had much to think about. ~~~~

For Gray, he was stuck in a loop of _'I am so glad she is here I do not have words'_ and _'Oh god she is here why what do I do why is she here oh no oh no something happened and I am a suspect I just know it'._

Which was not a helpful frame of mind when neither party is speaking nor are they making any move to.

In fact, they didn't speak until they were sat in a corner booth and had both ordered.

"So Gray," Carmen began, crossing her arms on the table. "How's it been?"

"Went back to the opera house," He started, thinking back on the past two years. "Made a couple friends, traveled..." He smiled at her. "Honestly, bit of a boring life I've made here,"

Carmen shook her head. "Sounds nice," she leaned back, looking for any signs of a lie. So far, she found none. "Friends?" She asked, with one brow raised.

"Hey! You make it sound like I have none!" Gray chuckled.

"Because so far as I know, you don't,"

"Harsh words sheila,"

Carmen shrugged with a small smile, gesturing for him to continue.

"Right," he said, smiling awkwardly. "My closest friends right now are this woman Lucky and her wife. She's about...." He thought for a moment racking his brain. "38? I want to say?" He shook his head. "Hard to say, given how good she is at make-up,"

"Lucky? Interesting name,"

Gray nodded. "Yeah, she saw my lighting skills when she was taking some high profile photos at the opera house and then next thing I know she's handing me a camera and dragging me around the world with a taco stuffed in her mouth,"

Carmen laughed at the image. "She sounds fun,"

"She....Is. Mostly,"

Carmen straightened. "Mostly?"

Graham shrugged. "She's a bit scary if she's angry, or she's gotten into a fight. We got jumped walking around Italy and she broke both his arms and most of his ribs, as well as his pelvis," he shuddered. "Terrifying now that I think about it. It just happened so fast. One moment there's a man brandishing a knife at us and I'm about to disarm him and the next," he shook his head. "His arms are bent at awful angles and he's coughing up blood,"

Carmen's eyes narrowed. "What happened after?"

"She picked him up and dropped him off at a nearby hospital before apologizing and treating me to some gelato," He shrugged. "I think she mentioned she'd been a bodygaurd for a while?"

"Uh-huh,"

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Gray asked, leaning forward. "I'm guessing it's important, seeing as we haven't seen eachother in..." He trailed off, looking guilty for a moment before resolving his expression. "A while," He settled on.

Carmen sighed, tucking away what Gray had told her as she gathered her words. "Well," she began carefully. "There was a breakout, 4 days ago,"

Gray straightened. "V.I.L.E?" He asked, dreading the answer.

Carmen nodded.

Grey held his hand up as their drinks were dropped off by the waitress. He put it down when she was out of earshot. "How many of them got out?"

"Everyone imprisoned,"

Grey sighed shaking his head, stomach in knots as he waited for the other shoe to drop. He knew it. She thinks he helped them escape. "You going after them again?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied, face set in a firm expression.

"Look, Carmen-" He had to tell her he didn't do it. He had to.

"And I want you to help me," she finished.

Wait, what?

TBC


	3. Pause Cutscene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen makes a suggestion, Gray responds with one of his own.

**~~Gray/Graham/Crackle (Boy continues to have many identities. Are you a spy? Do you have a DID?)~~ **

"What?" Gray croaked, throat suddenly drier than the Mojave desert.

That couldn't be right.

He must of misheard her.

"I want you," she pointed at him, making it painfully obvious that he was the individual in question and not the handy dandy Casper that may be next to him. "To help me this time," she smiled awkwardly, bracing for rejection.

Gray noticed the hesitance. 'Is she scared I might say no?' he thought, confused. 'I would do anything for her,'

"You can say no of course," she added in the pregnant pause he'd left.

"Yes," Gray said, still stunned. He wasn't sure what he was getting into, but this was Carmen. The woman he'd follow to the ends of the Earth if she wanted him to. She was his best friend, and there wasn't much he wouldn't do for her. "I'll help. I'll come with you,"

Carmen sat still for a moment, mouth agape as she processed his answer. "You'll come with me?" She parroted back. "After everything?"

Gray nodded with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda owe it to you, you know?"

She seemed to deflate at that. "You don't need to come out of obligation," she said, grey eyes turning stormy.

Gray shook his head, smile melting into something easier. "Nope!" He said, popping the 'p'. "I've missed you, and I do want to help,"

Carmen visibly relaxed, smiling. "I'll help you wrap things up here?"

Gray nodded. "If you want. I really only need to drag you to one thing," He said with a shrug.

"And what would that be?" Carmen leaned forward, a smile turned coy.

Gray leaned forward in response, raising one eyebrow in challenge. "You've got to meet Lucky," he said, voice dropping an octave, mostly unintentionally.

Carmen grinned and flicked his forehead as she flopped back against the booth. "Alright, I'll meet your new mom," she looked away with her eyes closed, hiding her light blush.

Gray had also looked away, bringing an arm to shield his face and scratch behind his ear while his significantly paler skin turned into a rosy pink. "You'll like her," Gray mumbled, trying to compose himself. "Promise,"

Carmen smiled as she kept looking away. "I can't wait,"

~~**Carmen** ~~

She didn't end up waiting long. At all.

Gray asked her when she was willing to meet Lucky and she said as soon as possible.

One quick phone call later and he was telling her that they were invited to dinner.

And now, a few hours later, she and Gray were meeting in front of a beautiful garden debating on whether to go up to the door yet.

"Dinner is in an hour," Carmen said, gesturing at the house. "Why do they eat so late?"

Gray shrugged. "Dinner is in an hour and Lucky is a very odd lady. It's best to get used to her before dinner,"

Carmen sighed, stepping to the side. "Alright, alright. Lead the way Gray,"

"Sure thing," he hummed, tugging her along by the wrist for a moment before quickly dropping it.

They walked to the door quickly, and as they waited for someone to answer, Carmen took the opportunity to examine the place.

At first glance, it seemed perfectly normal. But to a trained operative, some things weren't adding up.

She could see slight hints of hidden compartments among various flower beds, and the garden gnomes' eyes were a bit too beedy to not be cameras. The doorstep they stood on appeared to have small holes, perfect for spraying some kind of substance up into an intruder's face.

She could brush it off as Lucky being paranoid, but something told her that wasn't the only reason. She was sure she hadn't noticed everything that was set up in the yard, but what she'd seen so far raised questions.

"Hey, Gray-" she began to ask, only for the door to swing open, revealing a small woman at least 10 years their senior standing there.

"Kiddo!" The woman grinned, clapping him on the arm. "Come on in, dinner's almost ready," she stepped aside as they entered. "This the friend you told me asked you to help out?"

Carmen glared at him. "You told her?" She asked, almost regretting this.

"No worries girlie," Lucky waved her hand in dismissal. "He just said you run some kids' charity, which I can totally get behind," her green eyes narrowed. "But something tells me you two aren't doing something entirely legal,"

Carmen opened her mouth to rebuke Lucky but was quickly cut off by her sudden relaxation and strutting off. "But! That's not my business! How about you two come to my office while we wait for dinner," she paused at the stairs, calling out somewhere in the large cozy house. "Sarah! I'm taking these two to my office, alright love?"

"Sure!" They heard, muffled from elsewhere in the house.

Lucky waved them to follow. "Come on, let's talk,"

They followed obediently, and sat in the cushioned chairs before her large desk. She looked tiny behind it, with her curly shoulder length brown hair framing her face gently and her eyes cold and sharp as steel as they settled down.

"So, what's the infamous Carmen Sandiego want with Graham?" Lucky asked, reaching into a drawer.

Carmen narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "How'd you know?"

Lucky shrugged. "I didn't know for sure, but thanks for confirming it," she smiled at them. "To answer your question, I'd heard some rumours of what you looked like, and given this boy's luck, it wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility,"

Carmen crossed her arms over her chest, sitting up straight. "What is it you want?"

Lucky smiled at them again, pulling out a thick Manila folder from her desk. "I'd like to help you," she tosssed it in front of them. "Gray's a good kid, you know?"

Carmen nodded, smiling a little. "He is a good guy,"

Lucky raised an eyebrow in question, and Carm flushed, realising how that sounded.

Gray on the other hand remained oblivious, opting instead to say "Oi! I'm right here, you two!" Out of indignance.

"Hush, the grown ups are sizing each other up," Lucky snapped, eyes still on Carmen.

Carmen picked up the file and slowly opened it, only to find....

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I see people are liking this fic.  
> I just.  
> Wow, thanks guys. I appreciate your praises.  
> Please let me know what you think and all that!


	4. Easter Egg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something off about Lucky, but Carmen's not sure she means any harm.

~~**Carmen** ~~

She was making fun of them. ~~~~

The file turned out to be full of sketches of genitals, aliens, Halloween costumes, and random notes about what to have for dinner. There was a few finger paintings in the mix as well.

Carmen pursed her lips, reevaluating the woman before her. Lucky was desperately trying not to laugh. Carmen snapped the folder down in front of her. "What is this?" She asked.

Lucky sighed and picked it up, returning it to the drawer shaking her head before handing her another file.

This one ended up having a dossier on her, however upon inspection it was only full of potato recipes and past the first two pages was beautiful prints of photos she'd likely taken, doodled over with colourful sharpie.

Carmen just got more confused and looked to Gray for support only to find him. equally confused.

"Ah, Lucky?" He asked. "Why are we in here?" He gestured at the file. "Really seems you're just messing with us,"

Lucky hummed as she reached into the drawer, pulling out a key card this time. She walked around them and opened a safe that was hidden behind a framed photograph and pulled out a stack of folders of various sizes. She handed them to Carmen wordlessly, still smiling.

Carmen rolled her eyes believing it yo be a joke, and opened the files she had been handed. "What is it this time?" She chuckled looking into the top one.The blood drained from her face and she quickly looked at the others, expression growing more grim as she went down the pile.

Gray raised his eyebrows curiously and picked up the files Carmen had discarded, his face losing colour as he read each word.

"This is," Carmen started, throat dry and face drained of most colour. She looked.at the files in their hands. She noticed the door was locked, and the windows were likely bullet proof glass if the yard was any indication.

In her hands sat a large number of dossiers, covering every member of team Red and every V.I.L.E operative who was active in the 5 years before the round up. Her file and Gray's were nestled together in a odd clip that probably wasn't actually a clip.

"Gee Lucky, when did you get these?" Gray asked, looking a bit hurt at the sight of his file, until he turned to the last page and found a letter. He picked it up and read it quietly, seeming to cheer up at it's contents.

Lucky shrugged. "It took most of the night," she chuckled. "And I won't deny that I had help," she smiled at them. "You guys are going to round them back up for ACME, right?"

The two young adults nodded, brows furrowed in confusion. "Yes..." Carmen said slowly, wishing she had Player on a line. Unfortunately, thinking this would be a regular evening, she didn't think to.

Lucky smiled and shrugged, unlocking the door. "If you want those then keep them. I already looked through them and the information may give you a leg up," she looked at the two dumbstruck kids before her. "Or don't, doesn't matter," she opened the door and headed to the table. "Dinner's in 20,"

The two were left in silence.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has gotten popular very fast.  
> Thank you!  
> Please let me know what you think!


	5. Story Quest - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night is awkward.

**~~Carmen~~**  
Carmen and Gray sat still for a few minutes, looking over the files.

"You know, I thought V.I.L.E scrubbed the documents on active operatives," he picked up the file on Coach Brunt and flipped through this. "But everything here is just..." He shook his head and handed Carmen the note that was in his file.

She accepted it gingerly and opened it, reading quietly to herself.

 _"Graham_ ," it read. _"I'm sure that these files are scary, and I know that you might be feeling hurt over the existence and contents of your file. Rest assured, I only made that one after I found out who you were going with, and it's the only file I had no help with. I don't hold it against you, as that would be hypocritical of me. I've done awful things in the name of a job or someone pulling the strings. Compared to me, you're a saint kid. That aside, it's about time you knew not to trust me so completely. You're a good kid, but I'm a bit more dangerous than the average operative. No, I never directly worked for V.I.L.E, but I know plenty about them from what I did do. Keep the camera I gave you, it's a bit more useful than you might think. Next time you transfer pictures, unlock that uppermost file, the one I said was just a backup. Go ahead and turn on all those features, they'll help you out. Come down for dinner and then you can go on your way, no obligation. Good luck kid. You'll do great. -Lucky,"_

Carmen looked up at him, confused. "How did she get all that information?" She muttered, pulling out her phone. "Gray, how long until dinner?"

Gray shrugged. "If she said 20 it's closer to 40," he smiled awkwardly. "And she won't mind if we're late. She's pretty chill in that regard,"

Carmen nodded as her phone rang for 3 seconds before the call was answered.

"Hey Red!" Player chirped. "What's up? Aren't you at Lucky's?"

"Yeah, well, Lucky just handed us a smorgasbord of data on every V.I.L.E operative that escaped, plus everyone that worked with us," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can you turn up anything on her?"

"Already on it Red," he replied tapping away and executing various programs to quickly dig up information. They waited quietly for a few moments before they heard a long whistle from Player.

"What is it?" Carmen asked as Gray leaned forward. The screen suddenly switched to video, and Player's face showed up. The younger boy looked worried as he typed away, sharing some files with them.

"There's not much to find on her for the most part," Player sighed. "At least, not through the regular channels," a picture of Lucky showed up, looking very different."But there are some weird military documents I managed to find, and then a transfer to some kind of para-military server which I need more time to hack," he typed a bit more and the image was joined by several others, one looking exactly like she does now. "All of these are attributed as what she looks like, or has looked like and were filed as 'mission faces'" he made air quotes. "The one labeled as her actual face noted to being stored in some facility as a hard copy only,"

"Military?" Carmen muttered. "Which one?"

"American Marines, according to the documents. Apparently she was raised on some base in the middle of Georgia, as well as some naval base by some researcher who, get this, specialized in ESP on project Stargate, before making a switch to some kind of mental conditioning and physical training project. Details are fuzzy on that, and it'll take me time to figure out how to get more on that," Player sent them an image of the man. He was pretty old, and had a hard look to him, despite looking so grandfatherly. "What few reports there are mention trainees that have been volunteered by the researchers and approved by the DoD, and one trainee taking charge of the others during some kind of demonstration. Details are vague and mostly redacted,"

Carmen furrowed her brows. "Was Lucky a trainee in that program?" She glanced at the letter. "She said in this letter that she's done work for V.I.L.E, but the military wouldn't work with them, would they?"

"Roundabout," Player deadpanned.

"Oh. Yeah," Carmen winced, having almost forgotten about him.

Gray frowned, gears turning in his head.

Carmen tilted her head at her friend, noticing his frown. "What's up Gray?"

Gray sighed, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "It makes sense," He started, thinking back on his entire friendship with the older woman.

"How so?" Player chirped, continuing to click away in his room.

Gray waved his hand, looking for the words. "She's suspiciously good in a fight. She took me to Italy a few months back, and we got jumped on the way to lunch. I'm not exactly sure _what_ she did, but the next thing I knew the guys were bruised and broken on the ground and she was dragging me away while calling the cops," He frowned. "It happened too fast. One moment, I'm ready to disarm the big guy with a knife and get out of there, the next all three guys are down with broken noses and arms twisted 7 ways to Sunday,"

Player paled at that, pausing in his typing. "Uh, Guys?"

The two twenty-somethings looked at the small screen, eyebrows raised. "Yeah Player?"

Player chuckled and shared a small file. "I got through the first layer of security on that para-military server, and it's already _pretty_ interesting," A couple graphs popped on screen, seeming to depict data from years of collection. "These appear to be test results from the course of 14 years," The blue graph was enlarged. "This one's files are extremely heavily encrypted, but from what I've got so far, it's the results from mental evaluations of some sort. What's worrisome is the steady decline, but there's a note that came with it saying that the decline was a good thing, and another cursing the spike at the end. After that, it's a note from a completely different researcher saying the tests will be going in a different direction and the data gathered will be kept as a reminder,"

"Reminder?" Carmen mused, looking around the office. She shook her head, noticing the clock on the wall. "Player, we gotta go eat. You keep digging into Lucky, we'll see if we can get anything from her, okay?" She looked at Graham, only to be relieved at his obvious agreement. She smiled awkwardly as Player said his goodbyes, and slumped against the chair as the younger boy hung up. She looked at the files that sat between them, nervous and oddly grateful. "Any idea what's for dinner?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Gray.

"No clue," He replied, getting up and stretching his arms above his head. "But Lucky's wife is the one cooking, so I assure you it'll be good. You're not leaving hungry,"

The two super-thieves could hear some chatter downstairs, most surprisingly a prepubescent voice squealing in delight. "I get to meet him?" They could hear the kid shout.

Carmen frowned. "Does she have kids?"

Graham nodded. "One, I think. I've never met them," He shrugged, unlocking the door. "Not sure about you, but I'm starved. What do you say to ignoring those for a little bit and enjoying dinner?"

Carmen smiled and stood up to follow him. "Sounds nice," She conceded as he opened the door. "What's her wife like?"

Gray shrugged. "Quiet, nice enough. She's a nurse," he smiled sheepishly at her as they went downstairs. "My interactions with her are limited," He admitted.

The duo entered the dining room a moment later, taking in the scene before them. Lucky sat close to a much taller woman, leaning into her arm as she peppered her with questions, pausing her barrage to reply to the child seated next to her's questions and ask a few of her own. She noticed the two of them a moment later. "Oh! You two done looking those over?" She asked, smiling away.

The two nodded. "Yeah, thanks for those, though we would like to continue our conversation after dinner-"

"Of course, of course!" Lucky chirped, gesturing at the two empty seats. "Sit down, Sarah made curries!" She gestured to the earthenware covered dishes, with lovely handles poking out of the holes made for them. "And some other stuff too I guess," She shrugged, turning her attention to the child again. "You doing alright Alex?"

The kid nodded, olive eyes twinkling as she got up from the table to gently drag Carmen and Gray to the table. "Come on! I made mom delay dinner so you guys could start with us!" She smiled, showing a cute bucktoothed smile. She was rather tall and lanky for a kid about 10, but extremely cute, seeming to take after Lucky the most.

They sat down around the table, and Lucky hugged the young girl close to her once she returned to her side. She gave them a strained smile, before saying "Go ahead and dig in, alright?"

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha Lucky is a jeeeerk  
> Awkward Red Crackle times go brrrr  
> Sorry this is late, I got obsessed with gay lawyers again

**Author's Note:**

> Not enough content. Must make some myself.


End file.
